Johnny Frank Garrett was born on December 24, 1963. He grew up in Amarillo, Texas. 

On October 31, 1981, Johnny Frank Garrett was accused of murdering Sister Tadea Benz, a 76-year-old Catholic nun. The alleged crime took place in the St. Francis Convent, where Sister Tadea lived. Prosecutors stated that on that morning, Garrett raped, strangled, and killed her.

Garrett was arrested on November 9, 1981, after the police connected him to the crime. His trial followed, where he was convicted of the murder. As a result of his conviction, he was placed on death row at the Ellis Unit in Texas.

Initially, Garrett was scheduled for execution on January 6, 1992. However, Pope John Paul II requested clemency for him. This led to Texas Governor Ann Richards granting him a temporary reprieve. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles later held a hearing to decide if Garrett should have his sentence changed to life in prison. In this hearing, the board voted 17 to 1 to keep his death sentence.

During his time on death row, mental health expert Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis evaluated Garrett. She concluded that he had multiple personalities, a condition she believed stemmed from childhood abuse. Despite this evaluation and the clemency request, Garrett was executed by lethal injection on February 11, 1992, at the age of 28.

For his last meal, Garrett requested ice cream. Reports indicate that he declined to make a final statement. However, alternative last words attributed to him included a message of gratitude to his family and a dismissive comment to the world.

After his execution, a director named Jesse Quackenbush made a documentary arguing that Garrett was innocent. This documentary suggested that he was a victim of harsh prosecution and poor legal representation. The documentary was later adapted into a film titled *Johnny Frank Garrett's Last Word*.